Fair enough
Margaret, we do hear all the horror stories a little too often these days but I suppose it can happen to anyone anywhere, doubt it's a phenomenon confined to Thailand, forgive the exuberance/optimism of my 30s in some posts. You do also have to remember that there are many success stories that we simply don't hear about because they aren't as interesting as the bad ones, not newsworthy as much.
I suppose you have to take a chance, which is what it's all about, otherwise you'd never have a decent relationship. Maybe marriage is a younger man's game, as you need to really believe in it now as there are so many obstacles put in the way of a successful one by society and the modern life that it's amazing that any survive really.
I guess what I was getting at is that if you are contemplating the subject of this thread in your relationship, then should you even be in a relationship with that person? Maybe marriage is not for you, just live it up with the girls instead, don't need to marry a woman here to have regular good company or someone take care of you. Why bother marrying again? Is there any point if you've moved out here to enjoy retirement, especially if you have a failed marriage or two behind you?
There are a few things to blame for the proliferation of mercenary attitudes or crimes fueled by avarice and one of them is the modern world and the spread of western lifestyles/culture (and how much money you need to have it). This has corrupted them through the TV or other media and has fueled their thirst for material wealth at all costs, as it gives them that ever so valuable Asian thing called 'face'. Mix this in with the fact that money is scare at the moment for all due to financial collapse with less jobs everywhere and crimes like fraud or worse with a monetary reward at the end will/are inevitably go/going up.
It's the crime of greed and I can only see it getting worse as time marches on, too many people, not enough jobs or money to go round, the aspired to lifestyles and all the fine things in life forced down everyone's throats everyday through the media. All of this cultivates an unhealthy disposition in many and corrupts priorities/values to the point where the acquisition of money is all intoxicating and the ends justify the means.
However, having said all of that, then if you are 60 and marry a girl 30-35 years younger than you that looks like a waif from a FHM magazine, and tell her that she can live with you in your 3-4million baht villa by the beach or house in a housing estate, then what do you expect?
